Goldray: Exclusive Q&A

After Every Record Tells A Story wrote about Reef’s Place Your Hands being played at a wedding and featured a clip of Reef guitarist Kenwyn House’s new band Goldray, we received an email offering a Q&A with the band. As well as finding out a bit more about Goldray (the band consists of Kenwyn House, Leah Rasmussen and Faithless drummer Andy Treacey) we took the opportunity to raise a few topics that we have covered on this site in recent months. The result is an entertaining chat with this new band, who have just released this YouTube clip of their single Don’t Walk Away:

Q. How did Goldray come about? How did you all meet?

Andy: I met Kenwyn thru a mutual producer friend, he knew Kenwyn was looking for a drummer with a particular feel and flair and thought I fitted the bill, amazingly Leah knows some people connected to the band Faithless who I’ve played with for years so it seemed to be destined for us all to get together!

Kenwyn: Leah and I met in Glastonbury High Street of all places but that’s another story! It wasn’t too long before we had a jam together. We’ve now been writing together for 4 years but decided to get more serious about it 2 years ago when we started Goldray.

Leah: Yeah, and finding Andy was a real gem for us, we needed a drummer of his caliber to do this music the way it should be done. Plus we all really get on which is wicked!

Q. A few artists have dallied with psychedelia this year (Paul Weller, Richard Hawley, Noel Gallagher) and your debut single sounds somewhat psychedelic also. How did the band’s sound develop?

Andy: Simply through the music we all love and the vision that Kenwyn and Leah had in the beginning.

Kenwyn: Yeah absolutely Andy! That era is SO avoided by most of the media and the musical orthodoxy which is strange considering how powerful that time was for music, culture, freedom etc. Also much of what was being said then – freedom, war, environment – is just as relevant, if not more relevant, today. It’s such a rich area to draw on though.

Leah: The band’s sound developed as Andy said, through the music we love. I also think the combination of Kenwyn’s guitar sound and my vocal is an unusual combination that makes the sound of our music.

Q. What does the rest of the album sound like?

Leah: I’d like to think we’ve developed a sound of our own….I reckon it will surprise you actually! Don’t wanna give too much away but it is pretty epic! Not surprising as we’re all drama queens in this band!

Andy: It sounds amazing! You MUST buy it! Seriously though 1968-1975 meets 2012!

Q. Are there plans to tour?

Andy: Yes as soon as the album is finished!

Kenwyn: Absolutely and that won’t be too long!

Q. Will some Reef or Faithless tracks get a live airing or is this a Liam Gallagher-style fresh start?

Andy: You may hear an influence here and there but essentially it’s all new!

Kenwyn: Yeah there will be the odd flavour but Goldray’s very different to Reef or Faithless, a new start for us all here I think!

Q. What’s the game plan? World Domination?

Andy: And beyond! Ha ha!

Kenwyn: Yes Andy! We wish to dominate other worlds too… Not just this one! ha ha!

Leah: Ha ha yeah, intergalactic domination!

Q. One for Andy: Who’s your favourite drummer and who would you choose from Bonham, Moon or Peart?

Andy: I love all three pretty much in that order so Bonham gets the vote. My favourite drummer is the late great Levon Helm.

Q. One for Kenwyn: Favourite guitarist?

Kenwyn: It’s got to be Jimi for me… The other Jimmy (Page) is another massive influence. Both of these guys left such a massive impression on me from an early age. There are many guitarists I love but those two seem to have changed my life the most.

Kenwyn: Bright eyes by Art Garfunkel! It was the rabbits! They made me buy it!

Leah: I heard a Bee Gees track in a shop once and it made me cry as I was breaking up from a relationship at the time. Not being in my right mind I bought it that day….Got it home and nearly cried it was so bad! Really can depend on your state of mind how a track can hit you…Don’t buy food when you’re hungry, you’ll get home with a load of s-!

Q. Kenwyn has had chart success with Reef and Andy also with Faithless. As the charts reach their 60th birthday this year, do you think the Charts are still relevant? Are you still interested in getting a Top Forty record?

Andy: I’m a lot more interested in playing live, although it’s always great to hear your record on the radio! If you’re in the top 40 best selling songs, that must surely be a good thing! Although I don’t think people think of the top 40 in the same way as they used to… It used to be a really big deal.

Kenwyn: Glastonbury 97. I remember we (Reef) were headlining The Other Stage that year and when I looked at the audience during our first song I thought something must be dreadfully wrong as the crowd were stationary. This wasn’t a normal state of affairs for us back then so you can imagine my relief when the crowd cheered loudly at the end of the song. It was then I realised that they couldn’t move as they were all knee deep in mud. I’ve played some muddy festies but that was memorably muddy!

Leah: Oh my god Waveform….We had to get the JCB’s to take the gear and band to and from the stage. Nightmare!

Andy: Yes, on the top of a Ski slope where all the equipment failed due to the -35 temperature!

Kenwyn: Yes, had a similar experience in Warsaw (Poland) when someone at MTV had the bright idea of doing the gig outside in -10 while snowboarders performed on a big half pipe right next to the stage. As a guitar player you lose the use of your fingers in the cold. Bloody nightmare!

Leah: I did a gig once on a festival stage that was badly slanting down one end. I had killer heels on and stupid me got a bit carried away with the dancing. As I spun around I piled into the drum kit, totally ass over tit…..Very embarrassing!

Q. I once witnessed a mosh pit develop at a wedding as Reef’s Place Your Hands played out. Can we expect live shows to channel this sort of energy / misbehaviour?